William The Bloody Poet
by Sita Moonlight
Summary: A LOT of spoilers for 7.2, "Beneath You". (Pretend 7.1 has happened already so Spike's back, people know, etc...) Spike's having trouble dealing with his newfound soul, and trying to make sure Buffy doesn't know he has it.


Title: William The Bloody Poet  
Author: Sita  
Summary: A LOT of spoilers for 7.2, "Beneath You". (Pretend 7.1 has happened already so Spike's back, people know, etc...)  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: Hail Joss the almighty GOD! What? What's that you say? Joss isn't God? How could you say such a thing?! Of course he is!  
Distribution: Want. Take. Have. Just tell me where it's going first....and don't forget to give me the credit.  
  
AN: And the poem that I put in here, Spike supposedly writes it in the actual show.  
  
  
Buffy looked to her right, spotting a vampire approaching her from a distance. Turning towards him, she stood in place, waiting for him to approach her. Her hands were placed in her hips defiantly.  
  
"Ooh, and look at you little girl! Don't you look like a tasty treat." He licked his lips unconsciously as he came face to face with her.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, shoving the stake into his undead heart before he could say another word. She coughed as the dust rained down upon her.   
  
"Buffy," She spun around as she heard a voice she knew very well.  
  
"Spike." She nodded, not saying much else. He came up beside her, obviously wanting to patrol.  
  
"So," She sighed, trying to think of a conversation topic. "Dawn's not too happy with you, huh?"  
  
Spike looked down, flashes of what had happened earlier filling his mind. The Nibblet had threatened to stake him. He couldn't even express how much that hurt him. He sighed, it was just more that his guilty conscience had to worry about. He knew why she had threatened him too. He shivered from the thought of her knowing. He felt as if he were on overload all the time, from the soul and everyone he bloody loved hurting him....  
  
"Spike?" Buffy brought the bleached-blonde vampire out of his gloomy thoughts. He than realized he hadn't been speaking for a while.   
  
" Yeah," He sighed. "The Nibblet's bloody pissed at me."  
  
Buffy knew the exact reason *why* Dawn was pissed at him and she hated even thinking about why....Flashes of that night in the bathroom filled her mind. Her struggling....Spike trying to make her feel....She shuddered visibly.  
  
"You okay, pet?" Spike asked, seeing her shudder.  
  
"Oh, yeah....Yeah I'm fine." Buffy replied, though a look of pure hurt passed before her eyes as she continued to think of *that* night.  
  
"You sure?" He asked, always concerned for her more than himself. Afterall, his sanity was really an issue right now, and all her could worry about was the pained look on Buffy's face.  
  
She nodded than sighed, "Spike? Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Always," He replied, turning his head to look at her. Though he did avoid her eyes, he didn't want her to notice anything different about him.   
  
"Where were you?" She asked.  
  
"Africa." He replied, sighing. "Luv, I-I'm sorry but I really don't want to chit-chat about why I was there though. Can we save if for later?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Good." He replied.  
  
****  
  
"Do you think the Evil Undead would know where he's hiding?" Xander asked later that night, as he was referring to someone they really did suspect was a beastie.  
Afterall, supposedly this"thing" had changed forms right in front of Spike's face.   
  
Buffy sighed, not really wanting to see Spike right now. But, unfortunately they weren't finding anything out about this certain "shape-changer" in any books. Maybe Spike was hallucinating and doesn't know anything, she thought. She shook her head, yeah right.  
  
"Yeah." Buffy replied. "Lets go ask."  
  
Xander and Buffy sped to Spike's crypt, or rather walked fast. Xander of course, was behind Buffy by a few feet. Yet, when Buffy got to the door of Spike's crypt she hesitated. Should she knock? She shook her head, Xander was catching up so she opened the door slowly.  
  
"Spike?" She called. His crypt was dark and she couldn't see a thing.  
  
"Right here." Spike spoke from the shadows. And, just than Xander burst through the door breathless.  
  
"You can slow down sometimes, Buff." Xander panted, his hands resting on his knees and his body slumped over.  
  
"Sorry." She replied.  
  
"Is there going to be a bloody party in here or something?" Spike asked. "'Cuz I definitely wasn't expecting bloody Xander to show up."  
  
"Spike," Buffy said. "We need information on Ronnie." She said calling the shape-changer by its name. "Like do you have any clue where he is or likes to hang out?"  
  
Spike sighed, coming out of the shadows, "I spotted him last night. Come with me, I'll show you where."  
  
In the next few minutes, they approached a demon bar that looked remarkably like Willy's. The only thing was, some humans could be seen among the crowd of demons, which Willy usually didn't have. All three of them walked into the bar, scanning the room for any sign of Ronnie. They found none so far.  
  
"I heard he hangs out here." Spike said, as if it weren't the most obvious answer.  
  
"Yeah." Buffy's eyes traveled to Xander and she realized his eyes had been fixated on the same spot for a while now. She followed his gaze. Across the room sat Anya, sipping on a fruity looking alcoholic drink.  
  
Anya felt stares directed her way and she looked over. She rolled her eyes and walked over to the three people, not looking at Xander though.  
  
"Hi Buffy, Spike," She greeted casually. She than realized something was off about Spike....could it be Spike and Buffy were having orgasms together again? No....that can't be it, she told herself. The thing that was off was not the relief from having sex....it was....Her eyes widened when she realized what was off about him. Spike had a soul!  
  
She pointed at Spike, "You have a-"  
  
She was abruptly cut off by Spike punching her in the stomach in order to get her to shut up. She clutched her stomach in pain.  
  
When Buffy saw him, she quickly punched him in the nose.   
  
"Don't," Buffy started. "her her."  
  
He looked down shamefully and was about to reply when Ronnie approached them.   
  
"Ronnie." Buffy turned her attention to him, hands placed on her hips.  
  
Ronnie took one look at the four and he was gone, slithering away as a tiny worm on the floor. Buffy sighed, frustrated and looked up just as Spike walked out the front door of the bar. She sighed yet again and took off after him.  
  
Yet, she couldn't believe her eyes when she followed Spike right into a church. What was he thinking?   
  
"Isn't it beautiful."He spoke up, knowing she was hear. Yet, he didn't look back at her once as he looked around the church.  
  
"I....I guess." She walked up next to him. "Spike what are you doing here?"   
  
He smiled bitterly, "Just taking a visit."  
  
Suddenly a piece of plain white, yet folded, paper fell out of his right hand and slipped to the floor.  
  
"Spike, you dropped this." She picked it up, looking at it curiously.  
  
"You can keep it, luv." Spike's voice held no emotion and this worried her.  
  
She eyed the paper in her hands before asking, "Can I read it?"  
  
"Be my guest." He replied, stilling looking around in aw at the church.  
  
She opened the folded paper up and in his neat and beautiful script writing read:  
  
William the bloody poet  
Skipping down the lane.  
Good boy.  
Bad boy.  
It's all the sodding same.  
  
She looked up at Spike curiously, "What is this supposed to mean?"   
  
He ignored her as he walked up to a large cross, "It's beautiful." He whispered.  
  
"Spike...." She started to get worried so she grabbed his arm. He yanked it back.  
  
"I just wanna-" He said right before he wrapped his arms around the cross, holding it to him tightly.  
  
"Spike!" Buffy yelled as she started to hear the sizzling sound of his skin. She then quickly ran up to him and pulled him off of it. Burn marks were visible on his arms and a few places were his shirt had ripped from the burning.  
  
"Why did you do that?" She asked, worried.  
  
He looked near tears, "I deserve it Buffy....After all I've done." He than looked down at his hands. "Do you see it?" He laughed almost insanely. Than quickly he changed moods again as he said, "Oh God," His eyes filling with tears. "....all the blood. All the things these hands have done." He started tearing at his skin with his nails.  
  
"Get if off!" He screamed.  
  
"Spike," Buffy took a step towards him hesitantly.  
  
"Don't you see it?" His voice was only a whisper now, his tears successfully making their way out of his eyes. "It's just so...."  
  
"What happened to you?" Buffy asked quietly, though having a pretty good idea what *had* happened.  
  
"It's this bleedin' soul!" Spike screamed. "This bloody friggin' soul!"  
  
Even though she had guessed what it was, it was a shock to hear the revelation come out of Spike's mouth.   
  
"Spike." She said, taking a step closer to him. And right then he broke down, sliding to his knee's as he sobbed. She got on her knee's in front of him and wrapped him in a hug. And there, she held him as he cried.  
  
  
  
THE END  
  
AN: Please review! 


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